Transition Team/Cabinet Thread

[Mr. Morden]

Politico's updated list of who's rumored to be up for which Cabinet job:

http://www.politico.com/blogs/donald-trump-administration/2016/11/donald-trump-cabinet-members-list-of-choices-picks-and-selections-so-far-231444

Hmmm....now that the game of musical chairs has ended, the cabinet is starting to look a bit more reasonable. Bolton and Myron Ebell have gone down a notch on the speculation ladder, which is good.

The funniest possible pick I see on that list if Donald Trump Jr. for Secretary of the Interior.

I don't think he'll be picked though.

[Mr. Morden]

Bob Ehrlich is apparently being considered for a job in the Trump administration, but we don't know which one:

http://www.wbal.com/article/202638/122/ehrlich-under-consideration-for-trump-cabinet

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[Mr. Morden]

The punters at Predictit aren't buying the "Cotton for Sec. of Defense" talk.  Say CNN is just playing a game of telephone with rumors, not coming up with a viable source.  They still have Sessions as the favorite for that job.

[Mr. Morden]

The latest trial balloon is Ted Cruz for Attorney General:

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-11-16/ted-cruz-said-to-be-considered-by-trump-for-attorney-general

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[Mr. Morden]

The price for nominating Cruz to be AG is that Ted may have to have his father charged over his role in the JFK assassination.

[Mr. Morden]

I guess Pawlenty was floated at one point for Treasury (despite having been a #NeverTrumper), but he's not interested:

http://www.wctrib.com/news/state/4160119-pawlenty-not-interested-treasury-secretary-job

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[Mr. Morden]

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-11-15/ex-intelligence-chairman-rogers-said-to-leave-trump-transition

Ex-Intelligence Chairman Rogers Leaves Trump Transition Team

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He's a causality of the Christie purge.

According to the Weekly Standard, Rogers was actually purged because he wasn't sufficiently conspiratorial with regard to Benghazi(!):

http://www.weeklystandard.com/mike-rogers-out-from-trump-transition-team/article/2005396

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But don't worry.  Rogers is apparently being replaced by Frank Gaffney(!!!):

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/frank-gaffney-trump-transition

[Mr. Morden]

Some Jim Webb fans are hoping that he gets picked for a job in the Trump administration:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/supporters-float-jim-webbs-name-for-top-trump-defense-or-state-job-200238800.html

But unclear that Trump would ever consider it, or that Webb would have any interest.

[Mr. Morden]

Nikki Haley now also in the mix for Secretary of State?:

http://www.wyff4.com/article/report-gov-nikki-haley-being-considered-for-major-cabinet-position-in-trump-administration/8297700

Giuliani's still the betting favorite for SoS on Predictit, but he's dropped to 50% odds, as Bolton, Corker, and now Haley are all in double digits as well.

[Mr. Morden]

And now out of nowhere, Jamie Dimon takes over the Treasury discussion, which is a job that was thought to go to Mnuchin:

https://twitter.com/MariaBartiromo/status/798988838055989250

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[Mr. Morden]

Henry McMaster says he's in the mix for Attorney General:

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/henry-mcmaster-says-he-s-c-gov-nikki-haley-being/article_4f4f4182-ac40-11e6-b549-a3182d3bb377.html

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[Mr. Morden]

Here is everyone at 10% or higher at Predictit on what I guess are the top 5 jobs:

State:
Giuliani 49
Bolton 18
Haley 13

Defense:
Sessions 43
Cotton 19
Flynn 16
Hadley 12

Attorney General:
Sessions 39
Kobach 21
Cruz 18
Gowdy 15
Giuliani 12
(I guess they’re not buying the McMaster rumor.)

Treasury:
Mnuchin 60
Dimon 14

Homeland Security:
McCaul 42
Clarke 14
Giuliani 13

[Mr. Morden]

Rick Perry being considered for Secretary of Energy:

http://www.ibtimes.com/trumps-potential-cabinet-rick-perry-might-head-energy-department-he-wanted-eliminate-2447345

Ironically, it’s the department that Perry famously couldn’t remember in that debate.

Trump’s meeting with Eva Moskowitz (possible Education Sec. nominee) today:

http://www.politico.com/blogs/donald-trump-administration/2016/11/moskowitz-trump-education-secretary-231518

Also meeting with Nikki Haley today:

https://twitter.com/Acosta/status/799071940422025217

[Mr. Morden]

NBC says Flynn is being picked for National Security Advisor:

https://twitter.com/DefenseBaron/status/799088218335543297

[Mr. Morden]

Should note that NBC seems to be the only news org currently going as far as to say that Flynn is the choice for National Security Advisor.  So not sure if it's really a done deal yet.

[Mr. Morden]

Gingrich confirms he won't be in Trump's cabinet:

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/election/article115388678.html

[Mr. Morden]

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-begins-to-offer-cabinet-appointments/

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The “Sessions for AG” buzz seems to be building as “Sessions for Sec. of Defense” buzz dies down:

https://twitter.com/jeneps/status/799322789513601024

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[Mr. Morden]

https://twitter.com/kerpen/status/799301550191550465

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[Mr. Morden]

latest on Predictit:

State
Giuliani 38
Romney 24
Corker 12
Haley 11
Bolton 9

Defense
Hadley 22
Cotton 16
Sessions 14
Talent 10
Ayotte 9
Webb 9

Attorney General
Sessions 59
Gowdy 17
Cruz 12
Kobach 10
Giuliani 9

Treasury
Mnuchin 42
Dimon 21
Hensarling 17
Romney 7
Wilbur Ross 4

Homeland Security
McCaul 35
Giuliani 22
Clarke 11
Arpaio 7
Sessions 5

HHS
Tom Price 36
Betsy McCaughey 25
Bobby Jindal 15

Commerce
Wilbur Ross 65
Dan DiMicco 14
Mike Huckabee 5
Linda McMahon 4

Interior
Sarah Palin 24
Forrest Lucas 20
Robert Grady 17
Jan Brewer 8

Labor
Victoria Lipnic 56
Scott Walker 6

Agriculture
Sid Miller 17
Rick Perry 14
Bruce Rastetter 9
Sonny Perdue 7

Veterans Affairs
Jeff Miller 66
Sloan Gibson 8

Energy
Rick Perry 16
Harold Hamm 16
Sarah Palin 9
Robert Grady 5

Education
Michelle Rhee 29
Williamson Evers 25
Betsy DeVos 14

[Mr. Morden]

the next ambass to israel.......mike huckabee?

https://twitter.com/Gil_Hoffman/status/799340779609227264?lang=de

Huckabee has said that the two-state solution isn’t viable, and has also said that “there’s no such thing as a Palestinian”:

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/262001-huckabee-no-two-state-solution-in-israel
https://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/mike-huckabee-theres-really-no-such-thing-as-a-palestinian?utm_term=.selWxgMv0#.armm1J9K7

Rhetorically, at least, he’s way out there on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, at least as compared to previous American administrations.

[Mr. Morden]

Who's the Secretary of State frontrunner, Romney or Giuliani?  I realize that Giuliani leads the national Secretary of State polls, but Romney has the lead in both Iowa and New Hampshire.  In theory, if he wins those two states, he should be able to get momentum to catch up in the national polls.  After all, no one's ever won both Iowa and New Hampshire and gone on to lose Secretary of State.  Even Ed Muskie made it there eventually.

Now Romney just has to make sure that he doesn't get derailed by Huckabee upsetting him in the Israeli caucuses.

[Mr. Morden]

The SecDef "short list" continues to get more crowded:

https://twitter.com/kerpen/status/799452143925264386

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[Mr. Morden]

Predictit market on Secretary of Defense has it totally wide open:

Keane 18
Talent 14
Hadley 13
Mattis 13
Cotton 9
Webb 9

[Mr. Morden]

Yet another name in the mix for Secretary of State:

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/rep.-rohrabacher-afghan-expert-putin-friend-emerges-as-state-pick/article/2607504

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[Mr. Morden]

after reading stuff like that about sessions...

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/sen-sessions-praises-donald-trump-central-park-5-controversy-article-1.2756902

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/19/us/politics/jeff-sessions-donald-trump-attorney-general.html?_r=1

.... i guess if he isn't blocked, nobody is going to be.

I wouldn't say that.  He's a sitting US Senator, so the people who are voting on his confirmation are people who know him personally.  So it's entirely possible that he gets through on that basis alone.  That wouldn't necessarily imply smooth sailing for other controversial nominees who don't have the benefit of being sitting Senators.